Love
by mar-map
Summary: Soubi's been told he's loved before, but he never really understood until now.


(**Disclaimer**: I do not claim to own Loveless. All goes to their respective owners.)

For Soubi love was no exactly a complicated thing. He had a warped sense of what it was. That was until Ritsuka and Kio came around. He never truely understood until they taught him what love really was.

The first to tell him they loved him were his parents. They'd always told him that. Normal parents - or so it seemed. That's why he didn't understand it when he'd been told they weren't coming back. If they loved him, where had they gone?

Seven Moons had taken him from there. They'd trained him to be strong. Rather, Ritsu had trained him. The man become his personal instructor, his master. He was taught to fight all those in his path, however brutal the means.

"Soubi?" Ritsu spoke quietly coming into his apprentice's room. His session today had been particularly harsh, he knew that.

"Sensei," Soubi bowed in a respective manner.

There were clean, white bandages around the blond's torso covering the angry red lashes he'd created earlier. "Soubi," he stated the name shutting the door behind himself. "Are you all right?"

"Of course, Sensei. No need to worry about me." His voice was emotionless, a complete mask over the intense pain of his body.

Ritsu smiled. "I want to worry about you."

The older male caressed his apprentice's shoulders with his hands. He brushed off the jacket Soubi had been in the process of putting on.

One of the hands sought its way up through the blond hair. He caressed the base of one of Soubi's silky yellow ears. The man hummed quietly. "I love you, Soubi," he said quietly.

"Sensei..." his voice came out a whine. His ears laid flat against his head nervously. Tail curled around one of Ritsu's legs. He couldn't deny the fact that he'd been waiting months for this.

Ritsu sat Soubi down on his bed. "Aren't you a little old for these?" his voice was gentle as he twirled Soubi's tail around his fingers. Soubi's blue eyes darted away, a flush coloring his cheeks. "I think so."

His master stole his ears that night. Not that Soubi seemed to mind too much. The pain was terrible, worse than training earlier. His bit into his lower lip to keep from crying out, but tears fell unwillingly from his eyes.

"I love you, Soubi," Ritsu smiled at him when they'd finished. He ruffled the now earless blond gently. Soubi just laid against him, panting heavily from the activity.

This became a more frequent activity between them.

It couldn't be said that this didn't make him stronger. This growing strength caught the attention of a Sacrifice. After all, despite his young age the Sacrifice, Seimei, insisted on having him for a Fighter.

Ritsu relented and allowed for Seimei to take him away. It was something Soubi couldn't easily forgive. He'd always expected Ritsu to keep him, name him. He didn't expect to be given to another. Hadn't Ritsu said he loved him? What had happened to that?

The Sacrifice, Seimei, was quite beautiful. Long black hair, still with his ears perched atop his head. Tall for his age but not nearly as tall as Soubi who was two years older.

When asked whether or not he loved Ritsu, Soubi wasn't sure how to answer. He thought he had, but then again, he'd thought that Ritsu had loved him too. If that had been a lie, was Soubi's feelings not true? He couldn't give Seimei a straight answer.

When Seimei pulled out that blade, the way he spoke, the light in his eyes. Soubi couldn't help the surprise and sudden nervous feeling he had. However, he let this strong boy carve his name into his flesh without another thought.

After a few months it was clear the match was perfect. Soubi lived to serve Seimei's every need. They were unbeatable.

Something no one knew about though, was Seimei's more violent side. The Sacrifice would become angry over some of the most trivial of things. "Punish me, please," Soubi would beg quietly. He hated to see his Sacrifice when he got like this.

Taking a knife that glinted in the light he hit the blade hard across Soubi's face, causing a rivet of blood to run down the Fighter's cheek. A few more across the arms and he breathed out, seeming calm.

He sat quietly down, the knife vanishing somewhere. He allowed Soubi to hold him, a luxury the Fighter only received at certain times. "I order you to tell me you love me."

The order was something that wasn't exactly uncommon. Seimei was always wanting him to say those three words. He'd never returned them.

"I love you, Seimei." Soubi was always happy to comply.

"I love you too."

* * *

Then there was Kio. Just because he was a Fighter didn't mean he couldn't do things beside. He attended college, going to art school. Soubi loved to paint. That's where he met Kio. Another art major.

Despite their rough start - due to Soubi's inability to get close to anyone and Kio's inability to leave Soubi alone - Kio eventually became a constant in Soubi's life. Seimei and him. Kio was given a key to his small apartment in case he ever needed somewhere to come. Kio tended to show up a couple days a week to have Soubi cook him supper.

"Soubi!" Kio called to announce his presence in the house. He let himself through the unlocked door. "Soubi?"

The blond was leaning against the couch wrapping his arm, abdomen already bandaged, not to mention his neck which was never unwrapped. Or very rarely. Kio was only glanced at.

"What did you do?" he frowned shutting the door behind him. "It was that Seimei wasn't it?" Kio cursed angrily.

Soubi's voice was deadly serious. "Don't talk bad about Seimei," he warned. Soubi knew Kio didn't like Seimei. Soubi didn't really care. The irritation in the next statement proved that.

"Yeah, whatever." He went to the fridge and retrieved a beer which he handed to Soubi. "I don't like it when he hurts you that's all."

Quiet blue eyes watched the other blond's movements carefully. This wasn't something that bothered Kio. He grabbed another beer from the fridge for himself. After a few silent minutes Soubi asked, "Why do you care?"

"'Cause I love you, idiot."

Soubi had to ponder this.

* * *

Finally there was Ritsuka. In the event of his death Seimei's death he'd told his Fighter to watch after Ritsuka, to love him. Could love really transfer that easily? Soubi had to follow the order, the last wish of Beloved.

With Ritsuka came a new feeling. A drive to protect him, keep him close, and nurtured. Every time he touched the student it was like an electric shock. It was like Semei and Kio built into one beautiful being, yet Ritsuka was his own unique person.

Slowly Ritsuka grew from a detached student into a confused teen and finally a successful high school freshman. Over the years Soubi identified the odd feeling as another version of that odd love thing. Over the years Ritsuka began to feel the same thing for Soubi. Or at least Soubi hoped he had.

* * *

Soubi hoped he'd never have to chose between the two people he loved most. Fortunately for him, the choice was easy. Unfortunately for another person that decision wasn't so simple.

Across the street Seimei stood. Two pairs of eyes started at Ritsuka who was standing in the middle, between them.

"Ritsuka, come here," Seimei said gently. The two were almost like twins now. Seimei hardly seemed to have aged a day whereas Ritsuka had grown so much older. "I'll explain everything when we get home."

"Don't do it, Ritsuka. He doesn't mean what he says. He could explain it all here and now for the both of us," Soubi continued.

Seimei growled at him. "Silence, Soubi!"

Soubi glowered but didn't say anything, he couldn't. "Don't order him around!" Ritsuka yelled. "He's my Fighter now!"

The taller of the brothers chuckled. "Oh, really?" He snapped his fingers. "Soubi, come!" he ordered. There was a smile on his face that neither of the other two liked. He proceeded to speak to his brother. "See? He doesn't want you to come because he wants me for himself."

"Ritsuka, you know that's not true. I have to do as he says." The man was walking toward Semei, past Ritsuka, who had latched onto his arm in an attempt to keep him from going any closer.

"You're not Beloved anymore, Soubi," pleaded Ritsuka quietly. "You don't have to listen to what he says."

Soubi's blue eyes were sad. "I'm sorry."

He turned his gaze back to Seimei. Shaking off Ritsuka he came to Semei's side. "Good boy. So obedient," Seimei plucked the glasses off the end of his nose before dropping them to the ground and crushing the fragile lenses under his shoes. "You always looked better without them anyway." He turned to his brother. "Ritsuka, will you come now? I wouldn't hurt you, you know that." Seimei smiled. "I won't hurt Soubi either. I'd never dream of separating the two of you. Why not make it the three of us? One happy family."

The young sacrifice looked confused. The smile was so reassuring. Seimei had been gone so long, Ritsuka had missed him so much. Soubi understood how he felt, but Soubi always saw the lies.

"Don't do it, Ritsuka! He's lying! He wants to take your ears! We won't be together, he'll use us both!" Back before his death - or false on that was - Seimei had spoken of his brother, plans for the two of them. It had never seemed relevant until now.

Seimei obviously couldn't keep his anger inside for that long. His strong grip latched onto Soubi's bandaged neck. "I told you to be quiet, that's an or-"

He was cut off by a strong strike to the back of the head. He fell to the ground in a crumpled heap. Soubi was released and gave no sign he'd felt he was ever in danger.

Instead he wrapped his Ritsuka in a warm embrace. "It's okay," he assured quietly. Ritsuka had buried himself into Soubi's warm coat. His black ears were pressed flat against his head in fear.

"Nice hit, Natsuo," Youji told his Fighter in disgust, "he deserved it." They wearily watched the incapacitated Seimei. "We'll keep an eye on him," he told Soubi.

"You take Ritsuka home. Unless a Fighter shows up he shouldn't be too difficult to handle. We'll call you if something happens."

Soubi thanked the Zero pair, carrying Ritsuka back to his apartment, home. He really had no idea what he'd do without the two eccentrics.

"Soubi?" Ritsuka asked quietly when the blond hand laid him down in bed. Even though he was larger and older he hadn't gained a whole lot of weight in the past few years.

"Yes, Ritsuka?"

"We have to stop him."

"There are other pairs, Ritsuka. We can leave him to them," Soubi told his love. He stroked the black locks gently, trying to lull him into much needed sleep.

The sacrifice shook his head and looked straight into Soubi's blue eyes. "No, he is too strong. Loveless has to be the one to take him down. It's what I want."

"Of course, Ritsuka."

Ritsuka appeared calmed by these words. There were long minutes of silence where the two just watched each other. Soubi didn't want to break the calm silence.

"Soubi?" Ritsuka wrapped him arms around the older male. "Will you take my ears?" It wasn't an order, rather a request. He buried his head back into that warm coat.

"No," Soubi told him quietly. Someday when you're older." He ran his lithe fingers through the black hair. He paid particular attention to said ears wondering how Ritsuka would look without them.

"Ritsuka's breathing was warm against his neck. "My ears are yours," he murmured. "I want you to take them before he has the chance. Please."

"No," Soubi whispered again against his hair. "I won't give him the chance to take them away from you. Anyway," he sighed, "you're safer with them. Finding you earless with only make Seimei angry. With them he won't dare harm you in a battle."

"You care too much," Ritsuka told him.

"I love you, Ritsuka."

Soubi continued to stroke his hair, lulling him into sleep. It had been a long, tiring day for the both of them.

* * *

I wrote this after reading like...book two or three, something like that so bare with the inaccuracies. I fixed a lot of them after I'd finished reading all the ones out.

Comments make my life better ^^


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